Utensil kit



W. J. FOREST July 25, 1950 UTENSIL KIT Filed Oct. 21, 1946 FOREST uvvnvroaa WILLIAM ATTORNEY Patented July 25, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE UTENSIL KIT William J. Forest, Eugene, Oreg.

Application October 21, 1946, Serial No. 704,662

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a utensil kit, and particularly to a kit where table utensils such as a knife, fork and spoon are held together as a kit in the handle of a can opener.

An object of the invention is to provide a compact unit in which the usual table utensils are securely held together in the handle of a can opener in such a manner that the utensils can be easily separated and removed for use, and can be quickly and securely assembled in a compact unit when out of use, without any danger of accidental separating or losing of utensils.

I am aware that some changes may be mad in the general arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. l is a development view of the can opener used as the container of my kit;

Fig. 2 is the completed unit of the can opener;

Fig. 3 is a spoon constructed for assembly in the kit;

Fig. 4 is a view of a fork constructed as part of the kit;

Fig. 5 is a side view of a knife constructed for assembly in my kit;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the can opener with its receptacle handle;

Fig. '7 is the kit assembled in the can opener; and,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the assembled utensils in the kit, the section being taken on the lines 8-8 of Fig. '7.

As shown in Fig. 1 the container of the kit is provided in a can opener which has the usual can opener head I and handle 2. The handle 2 has a back wall 3, side walls 4 and front walls 6. It is preferable that this can opener be made of a sufficiently firm material'to operate as a can opener, for instance sheet metal of suitable gauge. Instead of the handle being made of sheet metal of heavier gauge it may be made of lighter gauge and obtain its necessary rigidity as a handle by the folding of the developed handle as shown in Fig. 1, into the shape as Fig. 2, namely, in a box form, wherein the joining edges 1 of the front wall sections '6 are integrally united together by spot welding or the like suitable method. This box structure of the handle provides suitable rigidity and at the same time it provides a receptacle or pocket into which the other utensils can be placed. The bottom of this handle pocket is closed by the bottom fiap.8 as shown in Fig. l and the top of the pocket is open alongside the front of the can opener head I. The edges of said bottom flap 8 are preferably spot welded to the lower edges of the vertical walls of the hollow handle.

Fig. 1 also shows the forming of the can opener head, so as to have on the same the usual can and bottle openers and other apertures as necessary. The particular features connected with the present invention so far as the can opener head I is involved, are a side fla or flange 9 which is folded from the position shown in Fig. 1 forwardly as shown in Fig. 2 in substantial alignment with one of the sides 4 of the box handle and spaced above the same. The purpose of this side flange 9 on the can opener head I is to align the utensils in the pocket of the box handle of the can in the proper position. A prong II on the top edge of the can opener head I is bent from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6 so as to extend over the area of the ocket in the box-like can opener handle and is spaced above the same for interlocking engagement with one of the utensils in a manner hereinafter described.

In the back wall 3 and spaced from the top edge of the box handle of the can opener is provided a button like depression l2 which appears as a slight dent I3 on the outside face of the rear wall 3.

One of the utensils of the kit is a spoon I4, which is of the usual shape excepting that its handle I6 is flat and it is provided with a button and dent I! so that the convex or button side thereof can engage the dent I2 in the can handle while the other or the convex side thereof can be engaged in turn by the button of the next superimposed utensil. The handle "5 may be made of material of slightly heavier gauge than the spoon itself. The spacing of the button and dent H from the lower edge [8 of the spoon handle I6 is the same as the spacing of the dent [2 from the bottom l8 of they can handle in the assembled position.

Another utensil in the kit is a fork l9, which is also provided with a flat handle 2i which latter has on it a dent to form a concave-convex button 22 in the manner heretofore described in connection with the spoon handle l6, which button 22 is spaced from the bottom edge 23 of the fork handle 2| the same distance as the spacing of the button I! from the bottom edge I8 of the spoon handle l6.

Another utensil in the kit is a knife 24, which also has a-flathandle-ZG; "A concave-convex button 21 on thisknife is spaced from the lower edge 28 of the knife handle 26 in the same way as the, respective spacings of the buttons l1 and 22 from the respective lower edges l8 and 23 of the Spoor-n handle it and the fork handle 2|. In this manner when the handles of the three utensil'sfthe spoon, the fork and the knife are placed inlsuper imposed relation in the pocket formed by the box can handle heretofore described, the buttons H, 22 and 21 interengage with one another. The spoon button is: engaged with the dent in the back wall 3: of the can: handle: In addition; on the backed'geof the knife 24-. is provided a notch 29 which is spaced; in the same relation tothe dent button 21 on: theknife handle, as the spacing and offset relation of the prong l I. iswith respect to thedent l2 in. the-can opener handle,

In operation the spoon: is first placed in the pocket-of the can opener handle adjacent to the back walL 3 so=that= the lowerrend l8'of the spoon handle rests upon the bottom 8v of said pocket. Thenvthe fork is placed in the-pocket so that the fork" handle is. superimposed upon the spoon handle l8 and? its button 221 is: in engagement with the concave side of the button t! of the spoon. handle l6. Finally the-knife handle is placed in the pocket in: the manner shown so: that. its button 21 is interengaged with the concave side of the button 22 of the fork handle 21; and: the: notchv 29 on the back edge: of the knife bl'adeis: in: engagement with: the prong lil: ofi'the-can. head. This prong I l extend substantially atzright. anglesitoztheplane-of. the can. head I so. that it prevents. lateral. displacement of the knife. blade or the: notch 2-9 from thaprong Ill) is preventedi by: the retaining; flange 5 on the can head which. prevents: sidewise displacement-t the; knife ands the: knife blade. The interlocking of theibiittons [2; 1532258116 21 efiecti'vely hold the handles ofvtheutensils-together; while the en.- gagementlof. theknifie blade between the.r.etain.-- ing: flangev 9 and the prong; lllzofz the can head: l and: the.- engagement. of. the: prong: lil with the:

notch 29 in the knife edge prevents the sliding the pocket of the canopener handle; At the same time the-handles and parts ofthese-uten sils are of sufi'icient-strength for their respectivepurposesand uses 5 I claim: I

' 1; In a utensirkit The disengagement of the knife 4 a can opener, a head on the can opener, a hollow handle open toward the head of the can opener, a plurality of utensils having handles slidably fitting into said hollow can opener handle, said can opener handle and said utensil handles having interlocking concave-convex buttons thereon for holding said utensils together in said hollow handle, a prong extended from the head of the can opener, one of said utensils having a notch on one side thereof spaced. the same distance from the end of the handle of said last utensil asthe spacing between said prong and the lower end of the can opener handle, said notch being I engaged by said prong for holding said last utensil in. position. to retain the other utensils in the can opener handle, and an aligning flange on the canopener spaced f-rom said prong and being substantially opposite the other side of said last utensil.

2. In a utensil kit of the character described, a can opener; a hollow handle on the can opener having a bottom at the endof the handle and-i being open at the top: near the: operating head the same distance-1 from theendof: the handle of said knife astheuspacing between said; prong:

and the lower end. of. said can handle. and: being engaged by: said prong for holdingsaid knife in' position: toretaiir said: spoonandl fork' withinisaid. hollow' handle; and an aligning flange on. said.

can opener: handle. spaced from. said. prong: and

being substantially: opposite the other edge: of.

said knife:

3:. In a: utensil: cfsthe; character" described,

-- a can opener, a hollow handle omth'e. can opener havinga' bottom 'att-he'. enct oft the. handle and being: open: at the top; nearthe. operating head of saidicart opener, said-handle. being of rigid; box-likeiconstruction, a spoon, aaforlo and aiknife; a substantiallyrflaizhandle: on eaoln. said. spoon, saidi fOURl andzsaidiknife; slidablyi fitting in superimposed relation int'o pockehofrsaid' handles,

said: spoonv being planed: closest; to the. operating he'ad..o1-i the can .ope'nen;v saidi fork; being: super.- imposed on said spoon and said knife being 6105ies'tto the. outeri'wall of: said pocket, ashrongextended from the head of said can opener, said knife 'hauing: as notch. in: thevefigee thereof spaced the same distance from the endlof theihandle-of,

saidknifeas the spacing betweenisaidpnong. and

5- can; opener handle: spaeedz-fromi said: prong: and: being substantially opposite the. other edge: of?" cr me'chaaaehaeseiaed,

the lower end of said can handleiandfbeing engaged: by saint prong fion' holding; said knife. in

position to retain said spoon and fork within said.

hollow handle-;.andi'an ali'gningi iiange on said said) knife,- eacin said; hollow. can: handle: andzsaid handles: of thee spoomjfork; and knifev having a:

concave-convex button iinthehandle; of each thereof. equally 'spacedzfromz the ends Ofit'he re.-

spectivehandlesrifor: interengagement: when said;

utensilgareassembledz in saidxhollow handle;

- i FOREST.

[,Qli' insistenc mf'famwa ;tage.

REFERENCES CITED FOREIGN PATENTS The following references are of record in the Number Country Date file of this patent: 227,202 Germany Sept. 11, 1909 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 OTHER REFERENCES Number Ngglme Date Photograph of a, Mess Kit" of German origin 34,098 Harche et a1 Jan. '7, 1862 fil in Div. 53 1,472,826 Champlin Nov. 6, 1923 2,321,706 Salsbury June 15, 1943 

